Brett Tabke introduces Shawn and says that he has been ahead of his search marketing game for years. He says this is his first keynote.
He asks: How many of you consider yourselves internet marketers for more than a couple of years? How many of you don't know what you do?
He talks about 1996 when he looked for a job. He got a job at a small business firm that did incorporations in the state of Nevada. His company wanted a website and he was tasked to do this. Back then, not many people were doing much, so he got Microsoft to send him Frontpage. He read the technical manual and he found that his website (at least at that time) brought his company success. He then learned HTML/Java over the next few years and built other websites. Eventually, he went to Cox Interactive Media, worked there, and then was picked up by MGM in Las Vegas. He survived the dot com bubble burst and is here to tell us about it. He grew the company from 3 people to 15. And now he's at Cirque de Soleil.
He's going to talk about where they are, where they've been, and where they're headed.
Looking at things from a global scale: availability/speed of information shows us where we're headed. Google's Mission Statement: organize the world's information and make it useful. - PC World in 2003 says that the world's information doubles every 3 years. What's an exabite? A 1 with 18 zeroees behind it. It's 6 zeroes more than a terabyte. A "word ever spoken" by human beings would take up 5 exabytes of storage. Let's say that the information progresses over time. It's called "exponential decay" or "half-life." He started looking at this formula - t = 1 / lambda
Cloud Computing: the information is going to be out there. The "place" where all this information is stored today. The "cloud" is a metapor for the internet derived from network diagrams. As we get closer to this cloud, there will be no more software titles at Best Bu. There will be nore more cables to your television, phone, or stereo. There will no longer be video stores, no more hard drives for storage, no more websites, and no more downloads!
How are we going to do display advertising and search in a world like that? The web is getting smarter. Instead of results, we get recommendations. Personalization is the future of the web.
We also have seen smaller search engines. Cuil, Blinx, etc. How do we evolve our marketing tactics? Look at where media spending is today. An eMarketer study says that it's in search, disiplay ads, classified, video, rich media, and email.
Imnagine advertising spending like this: social media search, search, mobile, virtual worlds, widgets/desktop apps, rich media RSS, and in-game advertising. There's a lot of emerging media.
The long tail is changing also. With the emerging media, the long tail gets thicker. Fragmentation of media - it's the result of increased population over time. It's also unevenly distributed.
Let's talk about population growth as a whole. The recent big jumps occurred in 2001 and 2003 especially. Now these people are 5-7 years mature about using the Internet.
Older tactics vs. newer tactics: he shows a photo of McCain and Obama. The recent presidentail campaigns are a perfect example about how interactive media is changing.
How did they differ? McCain used: video sharing and blogs/social media Obama used: video sharing, in game advertising, blogs, mobile/SMS campaigns, and viral campaigns.
He shows this really funny video of McCain winning against Obama with one vote. 5 million people have seen this viral video.
He shows how in a web site evaluation, Obama's web site won against McCain's. An estimated 2.9 million US mobile subscribers received a text message from the Obama campaign. (I didn't get it, but some people in the audience did.)
Why are new media tactics approached conservatively? Unproven application, non-applicable demographics (younger), we have old school thinking in our society. Most out there over 55 years of age aren't thinking like us. Average estimated board if directors is 55+. Old school existed in Enron, Friendster, Qwest, Xerox, etc. Once retirement hits, the new generation steps in.
Merging of Media: in 1995, two disciplines split - online and offline. 10 years later, they are coming back together. The merging is fostered by acquisitions and mergers happening all over the board. The offline companies want to be online, so they're buying online agencies. Online agencies are buying offline agencies because they want money.
Telemarketing -> mobile marketing, outdoor advertising -> in-game advertising, public relations -> social media, etc.
Halo Media is a new concept. It's media fragmentation and how we should look at it as marketers. Users decide when, how, and where they will consume media. It results in a cluttered environment. We need to think about strategies that give us the best ROI.
Example: 50% off ad - users click and buy. But our website doesn't have the linear click and buy procedure anymore. There may be a circle of presence around the website: social media, mobile, widgets, video, and more. People are experience, referencing, and discussing these purchases when they are ready.
Two key questions: where is my time best spent? Which new media gives me the biggest bang for my buck? How do you answer this? Measurement is critical and alwyas will be, but not all opportunities are "applicable" for your organization. Forget the rules; there are none. Get closer to traditional media. Continue to be the expert. Don't be afraid to be too transparent. Educate and share insights. Play the budgets - remember, we're merging. (Offline budgets are often more expensive than the online budgets!)
Action items: - Get closer to understanding traditional media - formats, metrics, etc. - Attend new or emerging media conferences - don't spend money on what you already know. (Avoid the commercial shows and focus on the ones that are educating ones.) - Ask lots of questions - interrogate salespeople (turn around the pitching) - Join or start a local IMA - Remember, you have the keys to the car - Always put yourself in the user's shoes. You may not know all things. How would you react to things you put out as a company?
Trendsettsrs and Opinion Leaders: that's exactly what you are in this digital marketing age. We are at another pivotal point where emerging media is influencing audience. You're the innovators and evaluators. Question, test, defy, and implement! - Discover, evaluate, and evolve!
